2100 Trust at a glance

2100 Trust LLC has been flying under the radar, quietly assembling a group of investors and advisors as it seeks out newspaper properties to buy. In the press release announcing the deal, 2100 Trust described itself as "a privately-held company that believes strongly in the future of journalism and the newspaper industry. The company is dedicated to enhancing and enriching the integral relationship that its newspapers have with their local communities through a dedication to rich content and quality reporting."

Here are some of the people associated with the firm based on previous press reports:

Aaron Kushner, chief executive. A self-described "mission driven entrepreneur," Kushner, 39, is originally from Georgia. He graduated from Stanford University in 1994 with degrees in economics and organizational analysis. After a brief stint consulting, he founded MyMove.com, an online company to help people with moving. He sold MyMove to online marketing group Imagitas in 1999 and remained with the company two years before buying Marian Heath Greeting Cards in 2002. He left Marian Heath in 2009 and founded 2100 Trust LLC.

Chris Harte, investor. Former publisher of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, which he left after the paper exited bankruptcy in 2009. He went on to become president of the Press Herald in Portland, Me.

Brendan Burns, investor. CEO of Excelsior Printing & Excelsior Integrated in Massachusetts. Former managing director at Stepping Stone Capital Partners. Adjunct professor at Columbia Business School. He specializes in company turnarounds. He was CEO for eight years of AdOne Classified Network, an online classified advertising firm that was bought 1999 by a consortium of newspaper companies led by MediaNews Group. He left AdOne in 2003.

Jack Griffin, investor. Former CEO of Time Inc., who left the company in 2011 after a stormy six months. Prior to that he led Meredith Corp.'s national media group which included its magazines and digital and Internet properties.

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